Choice & Voice

As public high school teachers in a school where we often move from classroom to classroom each day, we found that it was a challenge to create a community of readers. We wanted students to love reading and discuss it regularly with each other and with other adults to develop lifelong literacy. Fleck and Heinemann created a Reader Workshop structure that ties together daily time to read independently (books of student choice), monthly "book club-style" conversation with guest faculty/staff facilitators, and writing/reflection on student growth as readers and how these stories impact their lives, both inside and outside of school. This book offers a clear model to help our readers establish a Reader Workshop in their classrooms as well as tools to get them started, including access to our Digital Library and One Pager prompts. Upon finishing this book, readers will have a reinvigorated excitement about independent reading and justification for its relevance in the classroom. Our interactive RW model (1) allows for student choice in reading, writing, and speaking, (2) provides an authentic audience for student work, (3) strengthens CCSS skills, (4) builds a wider school community of readers, and (5) fosters lifelong literacy.